Beaded Cherry

[Baxter Smith]

The shop was getting hot this afternoon, so after turning a couple of Osage bowls, I decided to catch up on some pictures. Finished this a couple of weeks ago but had some unexpected wood come along to capture my attention.

The cherry is from a crotch I cut last spring and roughed out. It had some interesting grain but I was in the mood to try another beaded piece. The piece had distorted a lot in drying and by the time I had gotten everything into round, the bottom was pretty tiny. (I was seeing see light through the unbeaded section and bottom)I think I have to learn to not drill my holes quite so deep! Didn’t have much choice other than to stick it on a pedestal.
4-15-12 Beaded Cherry 1r.jpg4-15-12 Beaded Cherry 2r.jpg4-15-12 Beaded Cherry 4r.jpg
6”w x 18.25” h Cherry and holly dyed with black transtint. Finished with Bush Oil and Buffed.

4-15-12 Beaded Cherry Topr.jpg4-15-12 Beaded Cherry Ped & Finr.jpg
Due to the height, I thought I would borrow a trick from DD’s playbook. Thanks David! I didn’t have any lead wire so I sacrificed some sinkers from the tackle box.
2012-04-02_Beaded Cherry Ballastr.jpg

Could only fit in a ½ oz of lead. Maybe it helps.

4-15-12 Beaded Cherry Bottomr.jpg

I think Wally Dickerman said a hollowform should look as good upside down as right side up.
4-15-12 Myrtlewood-Burned and Beaded 038r.jpg
What do you think?

Thoughts and suggestions are always welcome!

[Steve bellinger]

Well Baxter i for one am glad it got thin on the bottom. If not i'd be looking at something different.,and this is to me just one really great looking piece. Super job man.

[Steve Schlumpf]

I love it! Love the pedestal and finial and the way you kept a continuous theme between them. Great form and I really like how the beading adds texture but does not obscure the grain! Very nice work Baxter! You should be extremely happy with this one!

[Faust M. Ruggiero]

Bax,
This piece is head and shoulders above anything I've seen you post. I mean, perfect beads, wonderful proportions and you made the finial a perfect image of the pedestal. The shape is very nice and the workmanship is dead nuts perfect. It's a treat to look at. This one would get my vote for WOW cover. Please consider posting it there.
faust

[Nate Davey]

Man I like this Baxter. Great form and the beads really set it off. Finial and pedestal are first class as well.

[David DeCristoforo]

Man oh man, there is a lot going on with this one. I'm not sure how I feel about the whole thing but there are so many elements to consider! In trying to break it down, a bit I came up with this:

The workmanship is masterful, whatever one might think about the form.

The finial is right up my alley. I love it. There is a bit of a flat in the top section but not enough to be a big issue. The curve in the pedestal is a bit "sweeter".

The "main" form is great and the beading adds visual interest without overpowering the figure of the wood.

The pedestal is fantastic. I am not totally comfortable with the embellishment being at the bottom but that might be simply because an embellishment like this is almost always in the upper area of the pedestal. The pedestal reads better to me in the "upside down" pic. But again, that might be attributed to personal preference. Either way it's an exceptional piece of work.

I might have to look at this a hundred or so more times before I can digest everything into one thought. Right now I'm hovering between "I love it" and "I really like it but..." Wherever it lands for me personally, this is a tour de force and you should be very pleased with it.

[Jim Burr]

Oh heck yeah! That's just amazing Baxter!!

[Dennis Ford]

Fantastic work.

[John Keeton]

Baxter, lot of fantastic work in this piece, Baxter!! Great concept, great wood combo, and the commonality in the elements is perfect. I can see the area in the finial that David mentioned, but it is not a deal breaker by any means. There is so much about a piece like this that involves individual taste, and mine may differ from yours regarding certain elements. But, this is a superb piece!!

[Bill Bolen]

Marvelous piece Baxter. I love the colors, bead work and form. WTG my friend!

[Roger Chandler]

Very skillfully executed............no way about it Baxter..........the pedestal is just way too busy for my tastes........this one is over the top...............your skills shine brightly, but the base of the pedestal with all its additions and "Drozda-esque" elements are over the top in my opinion...........the complexity overpowers the beauty of a truly beautiful piece had it been just a bit more toned down.

No one can doubt your skills............that is for sure, Baxter!

[Roland Martin]

I agree, the display of craftsmanship is over the top, extremely well done beading and the form is spot on. Leaps and bounds, my friend, Thanks for posting this beauty!

[Thom Sturgill]

Absolutely stunning Baxter. i love the repetition of the form in the 'beads' on the pedistal and finial. frankly I think it looks better upside down LOL.

[BILL DONAHUE]

That's a fantastic piece. Like everything about it, especially the beading, which I too have been experimenting with recently. Please explain what you mean by using sinkers. I apparently missed earllier posts about this.

[Bernie Weishapl]

Beautiful piece Baxter. Love the beading. Really like the base and finial especially that you carried the theme of the base to the finial.